What kind of car was the 1979 Pontiac Trans Am?
Jamboolio films an absolutely stunning black 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with the 400 cid 6.6-liter V8. Here’s a very clean example of this muscle car classic with the legendary bird decal on the hood. This 2nd generation Trans Am model was introduced to the public in the movie ‘Smokey and the Bandit II’.
When did Pontiac stop making the Firebird Trans Am?
The Firebird eventually found its performance legs again in the late eighties, thanks to fuel injection, but it never recouped its old sales moxie. That 1979 number stands as the all-time high for the Firebird, by a healthy margin.
What was the gearing on a 1979 Pontiac Firebird?
As for the final iteration of the 400 (coded WH ), the rear end gearing was scaled back to 3.23:1, again for fuel economy, but this also allowed the ’79’s to go a bit faster on the top end. During road testing Car & Driver magazine sent the tach past the 5000-rpm redline to reach 132 mph at 5400 rpm.
When did the Pontiac Trans Am Become an icon?
Rarely has one car so dominated the American public’s awareness: in the second half of the seventies, the Trans Am became the icon of the American performance car, for better or for worse.
What kind of engine was in a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am?
The exact number of engines retained for the ’79 models varies between 8,672 and 8,800 in several published reports; however, what is established is that 8,326 were bolted into Trans Ams (some of the balance was used for Firebird Formulas). WS6 suspension provided wider eight-inch Snowflake wheels, in either gray or gold.
When was the last Pontiac Trans Am made?
Car & Drivercited these seemingly prophetic words concerning the 1979 Trans Am in the January ’79 issue. The handwriting was on the wall. The last Pontiac 400’s were built up in 1978 and the tooling disbanded. There would only be a handful of the 220 hp motors to go around and all were to be mated to four speeds.
As for the final iteration of the 400 (coded WH ), the rear end gearing was scaled back to 3.23:1, again for fuel economy, but this also allowed the ’79’s to go a bit faster on the top end. During road testing Car & Driver magazine sent the tach past the 5000-rpm redline to reach 132 mph at 5400 rpm.
What was the anti roll bar on a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am?
It replaced the standard T/A rear leaf springs with stiffer units while increasing the rear anti-roll bar diameter to .75 inches from .625. The front anti-roll bar remained at 1.25 inches in diameter, and nylon end-link bushings were installed instead of standard rubber.